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Connect with Mary
https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryfainbrandt/
https://www.linkedinremastered.com/

Connect with Russ
https://russjohns.com/
https://thepiratesyndicate.com/
https://nextstepnext.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nextstepnext/

Audio digitally transcribed by Descript

Introduction: [00:00:00] Welcome to the #PirateBroadcast™, where we interview #interestingpeople doing #interestingthings. Where you can expand your connections, your community, #kindnessiscool and #smilesarefree. Let’s get this party started.

Russ Johns: [00:00:10] And it's a great day for a #PirateBroadcast. Woo. We're here, we're live. And if you're watching this in the future, if you're watching this on another platform and there's something here of value that you would like someone to share, sharing is caring and we'd love to have you.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:00:28] Here button right down there.

Russ Johns: [00:00:30] You guys hit the share button and also, on the podcast is also someplace where you can actually go and comment and actually give some feedback. But today we're talking about, we're talking about course building. We're talking about online assistance support, and Mary is creating an amazing course. And I just want to share it with you. Good morning, Mary. How are you doing?

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:00:52] I am great. I have to say that I'm going to have to chug my coffee. Can you read my, the shenanigans begin after I've had coffee? So no Nanigans yet.

Russ Johns: [00:01:03] And #smilesarefree.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:01:06] Smiles are free.

Russ Johns: [00:01:08] Perfect. So Mary, welcome to the pirate broadcast again. Thank you so much for coming back and joining us. And I want to talk a little bit today. We've been able to connect and you're here in Arizona on occasion, and it's really nice to be able to. In fact, I met with IRA Bowman earlier this week and we got connected and I met Alicia, his wife, and It's amazing that we're starting to get these connections. And one of the things that you're expanding or expanding on or extending to the community is this what does it call let's? Let's see this one's called the LinkedIn remastered. So I want to touch base on that today and talk about that. So what's the what prompted you into doing that?

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:01:52] First, thanks for having me back again. And I'm glad that you're getting out there meeting people and you know what? I can't wait to see you on Sunday in person. That's what it's all about. You guys is relationships and it doesn't mean that you have to see someone every week or every month, but I like, when people are right here in my community, Like Russ, like every other month let's get together and just, talk, business life and have some pizza and beer. So I'm looking forward to Sunday with you. So what prompted me to create this LinkedIn remaster? It's a masterclass. I tend to get lost when I sign up for those large. 30 40 speakers. What do I go to? Oh my gosh. I just feel a little overwhelmed. So I wanted to create something that was more intimate and very focused. So it's not social media. This is all about LinkedIn. Now I do have to say that we've got, Hey, Tisha Marie Peltier, the branding expert, right? She's. Kenyatta is on the panel. We've got copywriting branding, video experts live streaming. And then of course we have the LinkedIn components. AIJ Wilcox. Who's going to talk all about LinkedIn ads, Isaac Anderson. Who like literally gives you a one-on-one on sales navigator, Beth Granger. Who's going to be sharing her super sneaky strategies. So you might be going another pirate you might be going, like why Mary having a branding person and a copywriting person, because it really all starts there.

Russ Johns: [00:03:26] And here's what people don't always understand is there's so many pieces of this puzzle too. Just like any other business. When you're doing a brick and mortar business, you have a lot of different things that have to go into the business. Online is no different people think it's online and it's a shortcut, but it's not necessarily a shortcut. It's just a different.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:03:47] It is. And I want to help people rethink how they think about and use LinkedIn. So it's not just about slapping up a profile and connecting with some people. It's what is the brand that you've created and how are you positioning yourself on LinkedIn? So that really starts with the branding and then goes into the copywriting because copywriting's on your, about, you say. So what's your message that you're putting out. How do people feel when they read that and how are people feeling when they read your content? So that really the first parts are really about the branding and copywriting. Oh, I forgot to mention Mark Williams, Mr. LinkedIn himself is talking about content. So that's going to be, that is a sizzling session.

Russ Johns: [00:04:30] So some of the individuals that you've invited, it's always fascinating to me. There are some individuals that I have not yet connected with.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:04:39] You're gonna have to sign up for the class, see there are sessions...

Russ Johns: [00:04:43] That's the beauty of LinkedIn. And it's just like any other community. You have communities and you're connected with different individuals and you meet different people through different experiences. And here's the reality folks is this is an opportunity for you to connect. Start conversations, get engaged, get involved and start building a community around your business and, allow people to understand how you help, what you do, what value you bring to the table every day. Thanks for doing this, Mary. I appreciate it.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:05:16] Oh, you're welcome. When you talk about community and connecting an easy, I'm just going to throw out an easy pro tip you guys. So you sign up for the LinkedIn remastered and you look at the list of speakers. Go over to LinkedIn and tell them, so like Beth Granger, Hey, I saw that you're, you have a session at LinkedIn remaster. I just signed up. I can't wait to learn about your super sneaky strategies on LinkedIn. So send that personal message and tell them why you're trying to connect with them. Hey, I see you're speaking at the event coming up. Can't wait to learn from you. Can't wait to hear what your tips are. So it is about connecting and community. And I hope that this master class not only provides value about how to level up your LinkedIn game, but I'll be teaching my three C method, which is connect, cultivate convert. So it's all about, cultivating the relationships that you already have on LinkedIn and current Verdin, those into opportunities. And that's where I want people to rethink. People go on LinkedIn. And the number one thing I don't know about you raise, but like, how do I get a sale? Of course I want you to get sales, but I want you to connect with people and cultivate those relationships. And then the opportunities will present themselves opportunities to speak on shows like this podcast, speak on stages, collaborate, I know a couple of women over on LinkedIn. They're collaborating on writing a book together. How awesome is that?

Russ Johns: [00:06:46] That's fantastic. I shared a post yesterday last night, actually, because I went on Amazon live, which you can go check me out on Amazon live. You can go Russ Johns dot com slash Amazon and go to my page and follow it. Just pro tip. You can do a 3 0 1 redirect. And so the reality is that I was sharing their books. And talking about, Hey, what are you reading? So putting the value back into the community is something that you can always achieve results with adding value, just like you're doing with this masterclass, you bring in a lot of talent to the table. You're sharing a lot of knowledge and, just a lot of information and people can actually watch it live free. August 1st through the. And are going to be two videos per day, I think is what you meant.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:07:38] Yeah, we're dropping. So my whole thing is bite sized tips. My other show is bite-sized tips for busy entrepreneurs. So the last thing I want to do is overwhelm. The audience and the network that I have. So we're dropping it downwards every day. You're going to get two videos to watch and they're around 30 minutes. So literally an hour a day, you're going to get a massive amount of learning. That can really help you scale up your business and introduce you to people that you probably need to have in your network. And that you'd love to rub elbows with or learn from. So you're going to be introduced to people that you don't know, and whether you connect with them or follow them on LinkedIn, it's just going to, we're going to be dropping knowledge bombs for those seven days.

Russ Johns: [00:08:23] That's awesome. And if you don't have to. You don't have, your schedule doesn't allow you to catch all of the content you're actually providing it. There's a small charge that you can actually just pay the fee get the videos forever. It's a standard model and it's very easy to access. I bought dozens of these courses, if not hundreds, over the years, supporting the community and supporting the individuals out there. And it's a great way. It's a great way. That's a great way to build relationships.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:08:53] Thank you. Yeah it's free. The videos are up for 48 hours each one, and then they'll come off the platform, we've already sold some of that. We're calling it a VIP kit, LinkedIn remastered, VIP kit. So if you go to the landing page right there, Sign up it's free. But if, Hey Mary, I'm out of town, I'm on vacation or I'm just packed that week, but I know there's going to be so much value. It's 37 bucks to buy for lifetime access. And if you're a VIP member, you get a bonus class with me live. So that's worth way more than the $37. But on top of that, You Russ, you and I think the same, it's all about community and I'm fairly new to Arizona. I haven't been here a year yet, but I want to get plugged into the community and not just the business community. So I interviewed three nonprofits to find one that spoke to my heart that I could partner up with and Benevilla won my heart. Benevilla  supports seniors and their families over here on the west side. And so all the proceeds from this VIP kits, I'm not getting that money. It's going to bene via. And I can't wait to go over there and present a check. And you guys, when I do, we're going to go live so I can show you like, Hey. You guys are helping Bennett via these seniors. So Bennett via support, seniors that are home-bound. They do grocery shopping. They take seniors to doctor appointments. They do light home repairs and probably the most important thing they do is they just go and talk to the seniors in their home before COVID during COVID they pivoted and they would call and check on seniors. Cause so many of these seniors are by themselves and the only way. Communication that they have, or with the volunteers at Bennett via. And I, I have a soft spot for seniors in my heart after losing my mom to Alzheimer's. And I had wished that I had an organization like this in San Diego, and you'll see some posts coming out. I I'm sharing a very vulnerable story of some of the things that happened. And if I had some support and help, maybe that stuff wouldn't have had.

Russ Johns: [00:10:55] I'm going to introduce you to Bill Gaff. He's out of Houston, he's building an organization that does exactly that. And it's going to be a national organization with membership of people that support the senior community. So individuals like you and I that are caregivers or aging parents, or you have a resource to call and reach out and actually. Make that connection and find the resources you need.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:11:26] I would love that introduction. Yeah.

Russ Johns: [00:11:28] Let's let's put that out there. I'm going to have, I'll probably have him on the show. He's heading to a vacation at the end of the week, but we're putting that together and building communities has chapters and business owners in there, so he's okay.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:11:42] Yeah, sign me up because I'm all about that. And I don't think that people realize the need. To support seniors until you go through it yourself, you don't really understand the impact of aging parents and dementia and Alzheimer's and physical things. And, my mom went missing. So the short version is she went missing and luckily we found her, but it was pouring rain and she was very confused and that's a very long story, but I'm not the person that I thought my mom would go missing. And so you just never know. So I want to bring awareness to this and I want to help the seniors. So we're calling it level up your LinkedIn game and give hope to a senior, right? Hope of someone coming to check on them and talk to them or take them to appointments. So I'm really excited to be giving back.

Russ Johns: [00:12:33] Hiett Ives is part of  one of the organizations. Bill's a great link, senior estate concierge. Stay tuned for that folks.  I'm here to help the community. I'm here to shine the light on everyone here. So I just want to shout out to Jenny Gold. Russ and Mary, thank you so much. Ashock, how are you doing? Another pirate.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:12:56] Oh, all these awesome people. Hey, you guys, if I don't know you and we're not connected, I'd love to get connected with you. Cause I need to know you. So just drop me  an InMail over on LinkedIn, or just follow me because I have my connection requests kind of thing turned off. Oh, Amy. Hi Amy.

Russ Johns: [00:13:13] And here's a pro tip.  If you see a profile that says follow, you can go to more info and go down and say connect.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:13:19] No, if you're watching the show, you're legit. 

Russ Johns: [00:13:22] If you're here, you deserve that tip.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:13:26] Yeah, you do. Yeah you get  so much spam that I've turned that connection thing off.

Russ Johns: [00:13:31] You probably get a lot more spam than I do. Good morning,Russ and Mary. Hello, pirates. And #piratenation. Thank you so much for being here. Amy, love to see your smiling face. Russ Hedge, I promoted your book last night on Amazon. Hopefully that's okay. I tagged you in a post as well. Great energy, Mary is great energy all the time, and I just really love hanging out with Mary. And then Elize from South Africa, we've got to get her on, she's someone that shows up in and really supports the community here.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:14:03] Nice to meet you via the#PirateBroadcast™ hey Martin.

Russ Johns: [00:14:07] Yeah. Good morning. Wendy's here. Wendy says hi, Amy. This is the thing about the community is like all of these people know each other now. So come in for the invite. So we'll go for the connect.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:14:25] Okay. Let's get connected. Let's grow our community.

Russ Johns: [00:14:29] Seems that the bot invitations are starting to spam up LinkedIn and mailbox diminishes the impact versus Clubhouse.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:14:36] Howard, change connect to follow.

Russ Johns: [00:14:38] Yeah. Change connect to follow.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:14:40] That's how you reduce your spam by 90%.

Russ Johns: [00:14:43] Yeah. And then true that great energy. And then I saw something here. Wendy was saying good morning, Mary and Admiral. How many of us hit the post on LinkedIn and expect the response from some of our connections to be, oh, no, not her again. Asking for a friend.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:15:04] So yeah, if you're talking about like your content on LinkedIn, there are some people that use it incorrectly, you should be educated. Entertaining and providing value to your network. And there's a lot of different ways you can do that through your content. I love working out content strategies with my clients. It's one of my favorite things to do, and I'm getting ready to do that at nine o'clock with a, we're doing a four hour intensive for I'm going to need more calls. Four hours, VIP intensive. We're going to get it done and dusted, but I actually love working on people's content strategy because I feel, I don't know about you Russ, but people get stuck on what to post on LinkedIn and they really have these blinders up of what they think they can post. And I always say it's the 80 20 rule. You got to put 20% of your personality in there, 20% of who you are outside of your business. So you'll, I wrote a post on what was it, the advice of a sea turtle, and then there's a picture of a sea turtle from Hawaii when we were there. So you have to go back and. And look at that one, I'll put a post of kayaking. This is what I do in my off time. And I do some really, I just, for me kayaking, I'm out in the ocean or the river or the lake. I can't have my cell phone. So I actually unplug, so I, for me, the water is a place where I can unplug and everybody out there, you need to unplug. You need to set boundaries. I did my episode last night on boundaries as a business. And there are times when you're working extra, but none of us started our business or work for a company because we want to work 50 or 60 hours a week.

Russ Johns: [00:16:47] Yeah. I, and I love what I do and I put a lot of effort into it and I try to add balance into my life and, do other things during the day and during the week. And I think it's really important that people understand that, there is a season. Yo you go with seasons and I've never been one that has necessarily had a shortage of content to create. I have a shortage of time to create, to actually put it out and follow an engagement. For me, it's just easy to just turn on a camera and share something. So that's what I found that works for me. And then this post, this, the show goes out to over 20 locations today and and then it gets broadcast again as a podcast and then it gets put out there on a post.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:17:35] Again, that's all your content. You just repurpose your live show over and over 20 platforms. That's a lot.

Russ Johns: [00:17:43] Wow. That's pretty cool.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:17:45] That's I thought I did with five and I thought that was good. I'm like shoot, what I'm going to have to step up my game.

Russ Johns: [00:17:50] And stepping up your game reminds me of a mastermind that I'm going to be creating, or I have created.  I know that I'm going to get Marcia Reece. She's just relaunching her her Staywell copper product onto Amazon. So we're going to get together and do some of that, but I'm putting together and you know how I love Dubb so I'm putting a Dubb mastermind together as five weeks. I'm going to only allow 10 people in it. We've got people, Howard's going to be in there. Kenyatta is going to be in there, Marcia's going to be there. So if you want a deeper relationship and you want a connection and build a community around building relationships and building community around that topic and hang out with me for five weeks and do something. Along those lines that's available as well. So look forward to sharing that with you.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:18:41] That is going to be amazing. And then it's so small. Like it's only 10 people. I think there's value. I don't know about you, but we've seen these huge summits and these huge group coaching programs. And I feel like people are starting to back away from those and they want these more intimate training. That. That's why I did mine with, we only have 13 speakers, and it's only two a day, cause I don't want to overwhelm you and I don't want to frustrate you and confuse you. And with my group coaching program, it's limited too. It's going to be very small batches. So I think there's value like a mastermind that's only 10 people. I'm going to get something out of that. Cause I'm not going to get lost. Be number 45 on the data. Ask a question. I think there's more value in the small intimate group.

Russ Johns: [00:19:30] And I love the fact that you can actually, in fact, I just received a text this morning from my last mastermind, one of the members in there, and he's doing a thriving mayor. He's interviewing all the mayors in North America. He's up in Toronto and just amazing work. And he's using Dubb as a springboard to introduce these mayors and he's getting a great response from them. Just like you were talking, there's a strategy on how to connect with the individuals you need to talk to. And using video is one of the most powerful ways that you can do it. You can use video in your masterclasses, you can actually teach and you can share information. And I think, like you said, There's a lot of people, these large conferences, these a hundred, 200, 300 people in a zoom session,  lot of people are starting to go back to work and they're changing and, I think we need to create some more conversation, so we can actually build a deeper relationship with individuals.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:20:28] I agree. I feel like on some of those hundred plus zoom meetings, whether it's a mastermind or an online virtual summit, that people are multitasking because they have their camera off and they're just listening and when, why even. Why waste your time for an hour if you're not really going to be present. So we talked about being present wherever you're at every day, whether it's one person, whether you're in a mastermind group, you need to be present. Otherwise you're just wasting your time. So I'm a big person of going to these smaller. Masterclasses and masterminds and I love masterminds. I think they're amazing. 

Russ Johns: [00:21:09] Well, I'm still going to drag you to  the Founder's Guild too. So that's an awesome event. Martin says not to be contrarian, but I'm okay with 80 to a hundred hours a week, if I'm having an issue. I'm right there with you and like I said, it's just season, when we're making an impact and we're creating something amazing and we're pushing to help more people add more value to more people more often, that's what we need to do. Wendy says, what do you do when a close connection will publish with typos on a professional post, I'm inclined to screen capture.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:21:44] Wendy, are you talking about my post? Because if it's my post girl, I want you to send me a private message. Cause I'm just like, and no excuse, but I'm always typing so fast. And my brain transposes words so easily. So I'm the person who says, oh, thank you. Someone just sent me true story. I'm going to be transferred. I've got some emails going out about the LinkedIn remaster class and Nate, Nate Handler. I don't know if you know him. Nat Handler, sorry. He sent it back to me saying, hey, there's a typo in your first sentence. I just thought you'd want to know. So I typed while  and it should have been awhile. I was like, thank you. So I'm the person. I think it's the tone. Hey, I don't know if you'd want to know, but there's a typo of over here. Cause if it was me, I would want someone to let me know. Cause especially on a post, you can go back and...

Russ Johns: [00:22:34] One word, grammarly.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:22:38] Nah, it doesnt...cause while is still a word.

Russ Johns: [00:22:41] Yeah, it is. Okay. True story. True story. It's not perfect, however for myself, because I'm the same way, I can't write or spell or talk half the time, so I need all the help I can get. Let's just be transparent here.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:22:56] Yeah. We all need help. We're not perfect by any means and we're not experts or the skill set is not a hundred percent in everything. And writing is the hardest thing for me. I would rather go live and talk. Cause charismatic. I love talking. I got in trouble for it. When I was in elementary school, I was a kid on a chalkboard that tells you how old I am. I will not talk in class. I will not talk in class for two years in a row. Second grade and third grade, I was shushed by my family. Mary Liz, quit interrupting Mary Liz, be quiet. Children are to be seen and not heard like all of that growing up. And now I just go on. I get paid to speak what you got now.

Russ Johns: [00:23:34] It's my higher power.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:23:36] Huh. I was like, see God designed me this way to talk.

Russ Johns: [00:23:39] Oh, I, it says I'm introducing Marcia to a great client prospect. She's really great. Marcia is awesome. Hyatt just love the people in the community. Martin there's value in one-on-one contact. Absolutely higher value in personalization.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:23:57] That's why the video that you do is so important because that's, one-on-one, it's personalized, you're sending someone and introduction video, or a hello video, or, Hey, here's a free resource video, but you're personalizing it time and time again. And that's what makes it so special and that what makes it chief connector? Yeah, absolutely.

Russ Johns: [00:24:22] Martin says, oh boy, typos are omnipresent. They have a life of their own. Absolutely.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:24:29] And I see them all the time and it's

Russ Johns: [00:24:31] okay. We're all human. We're all human.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:24:34] Yeah. Don't judge people on typos please.

Russ Johns: [00:24:37] Yeah, not you Mary, but I'll be on the lookout and our posting an example of our brand. Yes.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:24:44] Posting the content. What you're posting about is part of your brand. The typo is just being here.

Russ Johns: [00:24:52] Yeah, we all a work in progress. Every day. I relate with one. Yeah sure.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:25:01] Yeah. Wendy, did you get shushed when you were growing up? Is right there. You guys all connect with me over on LinkedIn? Follow me, connect with me.

Russ Johns: [00:25:11] Oh, God definitely designed you to talk. That's so awesome. Let's connect. The Riley says I have two speaking gigs so far and I love them. How do I get more?

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:25:21] Showcase those. Are they on your LinkedIn profile and ask and create a speaking page on your website? If you have one. Yeah.

Russ Johns: [00:25:30] Let's connect, please connect. Mary, what? Let's come back to the event. So make sure that people have the last and final word on what is important and what is critical to know about this event and what are you bringing into the table?

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:25:46] This event is important for everyone, whether you're just getting started on LinkedIn or you're ready to level up your LinkedIn game. There's something for everyone that regarding all wrapped around LinkedIn. So it's LinkedIn remastered.com. Again, it's free to sign up. It's a week long event. Oh, did I mention that I have $2,000 in raffle prices because I love giving away prizes. So every day. We have a live Q and a, and we're going to give off a raffle prize. You just have to show up for that. And if you can, I can't make the trainings or you just want to support a senior and give them hope, upgrade to the VIP kit. It's $37 before the class, and then it'll go up to $57 during the week. Grab your spot now share it. I would be so grateful if you guys see one of my posts on LinkedIn about it or Facebook or wherever I'm at Instagram may mainly LinkedIn. And just share that out to your network.

Russ Johns: [00:26:41] And also proceeds you're going to a noble cause.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:26:45] Proceeds are going to Benavilla, a nonprofit organization in the west valley. I understand. I live in the west side here in Arizona and I think that's hilarious coming from California west side. So the proceeds go to Benevilla non-profit supporting seniors and their families, giving them hope and giving them a break, the caregivers, which Russ, and I both know, that is life-changing if you're a caregiver. To have your parents or your uncle, whoever it is you're caring for, to have a place for them to go and visit cause they have day services as well.

Russ Johns: [00:27:19] That is awesome. Mary, thank you so much for showing up sharing the value and being here today. So it's really important that everyone understand the value and the potential that you have because. You are so important and necessary to the community and continue to like comment and share and help each other out lift each other up. There's no shortage of opportunity out there. So just continue to help each other, move things forward and because you know why? #kindnessiscool, #smilesarefree, so you #enjoythe day. Thank you so much, Mary, take care.

Mary Fain Brandt: [00:27:56] Bye! Have a great day.

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